[yes, I realize this is just common sense, but studies
like this give weight to opinion]
Tue December 28, 2004 10:50 PM ET
By Charnicia E. Huggins
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Children with signs of autism
are more likely to be diagnosed with the disorder in
wealthier school districts, results of a new study show.
“For some reason school districts with more resources have
the ability to capture a greater percentage of autistic
kids that are residing in their districts,” study author
Dr. Raymond F. Palmer, of the University of Texas Health
Science Center San Antonio, told Reuters Health.
In light of this finding, “it is important to consider
providing resources to poorer districts and economically
disadvantaged communities to help them identify children
with ASDs (autistic spectrum disorders) and other
developmental delays that require attention,” write Palmer
and his colleagues in the American Journal of Public
Health.
Through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act,
children with ASDs are eligible for special education
services such as one-on-one instruction and behavioral
interventions, from birth to 21 years old. Yet, up to 80
percent of children with an autistic spectrum disorder
are not diagnosed until school age, studies show.
In the current study, Palmer and his team investigated the
effect of community and school district resources on the
identification of children with autism. They looked at
1,040 school districts in Texas, representing
approximately 4 million kindergartners through twelfth
graders, from the 1994-1995 though the 2000-2001 school
year.
In 1994-1995, 2.5 out of every 10,000 children, on
average, were identified as having autistic disorder. This
rate increased by about one child per 10,000 per year, the
report indicates.
Revenue in the school districts ranged from $100,000 to
$966.7 million, with the average being $17.4 million.
School districts with the highest revenues showed a three-
fold increase in their rates of identification of children
with autistic disorder, similar to the increasing rates
of autism identified throughout the nation, Palmer and his
team report. “This disorder is exponentially increasing
over time,” said Palmer, who describes the phenomenon as
an “epidemic.”
Yet, districts with the lowest revenues showed little
change in their rate of identification during the study
period, Palmer and his team report.
By the end of the study period, for example, 21 out of
every 10,000 children in the highest revenue districts
were diagnosed with autism, compared with 3.5 per 10,000
children in the lowest revenue districts.
“Is there really less kids with autism in (poorer
districts)?” Palmer asked. “I would think not.”
Citing the importance of the “parental push factor,”
Palmer said that parents in wealthier districts may be
better educated and more assertive and may push for the
resources their child needs. On the other hand, even if
children in poorer districts are identified and diagnosed
with autism, the lack of resources may force schools
to “scramble” to provide even sub-par services, he said.
SOURCE: American Journal of Public Health, January 2005.